This invention pertains to necktie holders which use clamps to hold the ties in position. This is usually accomplished by pressing the tie between a clamp and another part of the holder, thus creating a sufficient amount of friction to secure the tie in place. Generally, each clamp is operable between an open and a closed position.
In the prior art, there are two common types of necktie holders. The first type is adapted to be permanently attached to a wall and utilizes various types of clamps to secure the ties. Examples of these wall-mounted necktie holders can be found in the patents of Schwiering--U.S. Pat. No. 2,440,024; Edelheit--U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,995; and Sova--U.S. Pat. No. 2,469,006. The second type of necktie holder is similar in its general configuration to a clothes hanger of the standard kind and has a hook for engaging a clothes rod and a crossarm to which the ties may be attached. For examples of this type of tie holder, see the patents of Cappuzzello--U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,179; Keeler--U.S. Pat. No. 2,248,358; and Behlefeldt--U.S. Pat. No. 2,748,953. The hanging necktie holders are often preferred over their wall-mounted counterparts since they require less space than the wall units and are also more convenient to transport. This invention concerns tie holders of the hanger type.
With presently available hanging necktie holders, removing a tie normally entails either holding the release with one hand and selecting the tie with the other, or steadying the hanger with one hand and using the other to both release and hold the tie. In either case, one hand is usually required to securely maintain the clamp in an opened position. When operating the necktie holder in a crowded closet, it is often found that the clamp releases are either inaccessible or, at best, inconvenient to operate. Moving the clamp to its opened position is often difficult. This is primarily due to the fact that the clamp releases are located in an unprotected manner along either the sides or top of the hanger. Furthermore, should one wish to remove the hanger from the closet in order to choose his tie, he must use one hand to hold the hanger and the other to both release the clamp and choose the tie. The present invention eliminates the foregoing problems and is more convenient to operate than the tie holders of the prior art.
The desirability of any one tie holder over another depends primarily on convenience. There has long been a need for a more convenient tie holder where the ties can be easily attached and detached in what is usually a relatively limited amount of room in a closet. The present invention is a tie holder of the hanger type, having a plurality of individual tie clamps disposed along a crossarm. It incorporates a system whereby clamps can all be opened simultaneously by raising a single ring which lies within a recess beneath the hook at the center of the tie holder. This arrangement enables the user to simply grasp the tie holder with one hand and engage the ring with a finger of that same hand and release all of the ties. Thus, one hand is sufficient to both release the ties and steady the hanger, either while it is on the clothes rod or being held in the hand, so that a selection can be made with the other hand. Also, this invention incorporates a central lock which can be used to maintain all the clamps in their opened position. This lock is activated by simply turning the same ring which is used to release the ties, thereby allowing the user to open and lock the clamps in the opened position in one motion. In order to prevent any ties from slipping off the tie holder while the clamps are open, felt strips are affixed to those portions of the crossarm over which the ties are draped. Furthermore, the clamps are so structured as to define separate sections for individual ties extending in a series along the crossarm. The use of separate sections permits the removal of individual ties without disturbing the adjoining ties.